Cherchez la Femme
by Zapwing
Summary: When Arcee gets a new, tangible, solid light holoform, her excitement turns to dread when she realizes that she can't turn the danged thing off. To make matters worse, it's gotten a twenty-year-old Miko's undivided attention. Whether it's the right kind of attention or the wong kind depends entirely on your point of view. Rated 'T' for safety and F/F romance. Rating may go up.
1. Chapter 1

**Curse you, plot bunnies...CURSE YOU!**

**...That is all...**

* * *

**...**

**It Begins**

**...**

How long had it been?

No seriously, how long had it been? How many years since that fateful day, when Jack had first seen that sleek cobalt blue Ducati in front of that greasy burger joint? How many years since the day Rafael's RC car was crushed flat by a giant yellow robot's foot? How many years since the day Miko had poked her head into that alleyway and-

Oh right, it'd been five years. Silly me...

"You're doing _what_ again?"

Rafael looked up from the console, the screen's glow playing across his spectacles as he gave a grin. "I'm upgrading your holo-form avatar," he said, "Trust me: when I'm done here, you're gonna love it..."

Arcee's brow raised in interest as she leaned back against the wall, the better to observe the now seventeen-year-old Rafael as he tinkered. His bespectacled eyes narrowed in concentration as his fingers danced across the keyboard like frantic spiders. Slaved to the console was Arcee's holo-form projector, a flat circular device with numerous glyphs etched across and around it, glowing faintly.

Rafael had just taken an interest in holo-forms and holograms in general recently, which was understandable, since they were still experimental technology in human standards. The young man had eagerly eaten up Ratchet's notes on the subject, and now, much later, here he was, claiming he'd made a breakthrough. "Just something I wanna try," he'd said, "I've been working on it for about a month now, so it should work perfectly."

Surprisingly, Ratchet had been up for it as well. "Disguise and stealth is our most effective weapon," the medic had said, "Better to be safe than sorry."

"Ratchet is right, Arcee. An upgrade for your disguise might prove beneficial in the long term," said Optimus, "In addition, many of Rafael's technical feats have proven successful. This should most likely be no exception."

Not that Arcee hadn't been a trifle reluctant, of course, but she soon caved in to Rafael's pleading and handed over her holo-form generator anyway (He'd been giving her puppy eyes, for Primus' sake). Unfortunately, this meant having to stay cooped up in base for the remainder of the morning; the danger of being seen without a holo-form was too great. By the time Rafael had announced that his work was almost finished, the femme was half dead from boredom and raring to go. Because, let's face it; who wants to be stuck in a base with the likes of Whirl, Air Raid and Prowl for company?

"How much longer?"

"Just a few more seconds...aaand..._done_!" Rafael hit the final key with a triumphant grin. He quickly unplugged the holo-form projector and held it out to Arcee. "Here, put it on. Give it a spin..."

Arcee frowned suspiciously as she reached for the device. "This isn't going to make me explode, is it?" she asked, remembering the boy's technical lessons with Wheeljack.

"Hey, trust me on this; this is totally legit."

". . .Alright. . ."

She plucked the device out of Rafael's hand and slid open her wrist compartment. Carefully, she eased the projector into the cavity, allowing her wrist cables to automatically slide in place. "Okay, it's in...Now what?"

"Now just transform and turn on your holo-form...I promise you, it won't hurt, but I still need to know how you feel."

Arcee hesitated, but then decided, '_what the hell'_, and folded down to her vehicle mode. Once her wheels hit the floor, she immediately flicked on her projector.

The effect was instantaneous. Her sight disappeared and long strings of code danced across her vision. An incredible lightness enveloped her frame, making her feel suddenly weightless, and she felt a sharp lurch as if she were rapidly floating away. She almost let out a panicked cry at the sensation, but her vocal components wouldn't respond, and that only made her panic even more.

And then her vision cleared, and she blinked in surprise as her other senses returned to her.

The first thing she noticed was how _big_ everything was. That one keypad had previously been at elbow height, but now it was several feet up and out of her reach. And that one human sized console had seemed so tiny to her, but now it was bigger and she could make out the individual keys on the key board perfectly.

"Wha-?"

"Wow...This is even better than I expected..."

Arcee almost screamed as Rafael approached her. The human was suddenly bigger, his head at eye level. She could make out each and every individual hair of adolescent stubble on his face, as well as the details of the checkered patterns on his shirt. It was shocking.

"R-Raf, what-?!"

"Okay, okay, calm down...I know this is a little...weird...But bear with me for a sec! Try orienting yourself with your body."

Arcee let out a strangled yelp as she realized where her body was. She was straddling a black leather seat, feet firmly on metal pegs, her hands gripping a pair of handlebars...

"My...my servos," croaked Arcee, as she stared at her pair of very human hands encased in thick gloves, leather clad fingers trembling against the handlebars.

_The handlebars of what was obviously her vehicle mode._

"What the _hell_?!" yelled Arcee, as she clumsily dismounted herself. She hit the ground with a thud before scrambling to her shaky feet. There was no mistaking it; somehow, she'd managed to be completely separated from her body. "Raf, what in the name of energon did you _do_ to me?!"

"Woah, woah! Relax! You're perfectly fine! You're just in a holo-matter state, nothing to worry about..."

"Holo-what?" Arcee looked at her hands, and felt a rush of familiarity when she realized that she was wearing a familiar cobalt blue biker outfit; the very same one her default holo-form 'Sadie' was programmed with. "What? How-"

"It was easy," said Rafael, "All I had to do was create a seperate body and transfer your consciousness. And because your brains are partly CPU, it was just like transferring a hard drive."

"A seperate...What is this thing made of?!" Arcee turned on the spot, her sense of balance surprisingly intact; she didn't feel dizzy from the change in height at all.

"I call it holo-matter. Like a holo-form, except you can actually touch it."

"You mean...You mean solid light projection?"

"Yep."

Arcee blinked, looking down at herself. From what she could tell, it was visually identical to 'Sadie', except for-

"I need a mirror. Small, big, I don't care, just give me one!"

Rafael shrugged and tossed over a small pocket mirror. Judging by the grin he wore, he'd been expecting the request, that smug little...

Arcee flipped open the mirror, and her eyes widened in surprise. When she'd initially designed 'Sadie', she'd only used a few references from the internet; the colors she'd applied herself. In other words, she'd never thought past the helmet; why would she? It was just a hologram, an illusion. It wasn't like she was going to stop for anybody.

But it seemed that Rafael had actually put some thought into her avatar's facial features. Her face was that of a woman in her earliest twenties, a long face with a slightly pronounced chin and almond shaped eyes with thin, graceful eyebrows. Her eyes were a lush forest green color, and her hair was a deep, chestnut brown tied back in a long tail. She was, dare she say it, good looking...

Arcee blinked. "Wow...Did you pluck this face off the internet or something?"

"Nah, I rendered that on the computer myself. Took me about a week."

". . .I'm impressed."

"Glad you like it! I'm thinking I could outfit everyone in the base with one of these..."

"Wow...This...this is serious stuff, Raf..."

Rafael smiled. "You have fun. I'm gonna ring up Ratchet and Optimus; they'll wanna see this," he said, as he flipped open his com.

Arcee ignored him; as childish as it sounded, the femme was completely focused on playing with her new face. She stuck out her tongue, bared her teeth, waggled her eyebrows, and crossed her eyes; she was so fascinated with the way the avatar's face moved. No point in hiding it: Rafael had done a splendid job...

She was just wriggling her nose when there was a sharp knock on the door. Rafael hit the button, and the door slid open, allowing Optimus and Ratchet entrance. "We got your call Rafael, what-" Ratchet stopped dead as his optics locked onto Arcee's avatar. "Who...Who is this?...And what is she doing with her face?"

Optimus raised a brow and sent a questioning look to Rafael. "A good question, indeed," he said, "What exactly _is_ she doing with her face?"

Rafael had to stifle a laugh. "Relax, guys," he snickered, "That's Arcee."

The medic and the Prime blinked. Arcee smiled. "The one and only," she said.

Ratchet's mouth flopped open. Even Optimus' optics widened a fraction. "That can't be right," said Ratchet, as he and Optimus knelt down for a closer look.

Arcee instinctively took a step back. She had to admit, from a human's perspective, Ratchet and Optimus were an intimidating sight; she could see why most humans seemed in awe of their sheer size. Arcee could even make out tiny details that she wouldn't have been able to notice before; the tiny scratches and scrapes on their armor, the luminescent circuitry of their optics, the quiet whirring of internal motors and hydraulics.

"This...this is a holo-form?" asked the stunned Ratchet, "That can't be possible; I picked up her heat signature..."

"It's actually a holomatter avatar," said Rafael, "It's solid light and it can mimic body heat. And it's tangible."

"Tangible? No, that can't be right...," said Ratchet.

But he stretched out a digit experimentally anyway, and his jaw dropped further when the grinning Arcee reached out and patted his servo. "Real enough for you, Ratchet?"

Optimus could barely suppress a smile. "I must give you give credit, Rafael. Your improvements have exceeded all expectations."

Rafael grinned. "Thank you, thank you," he said, as he gave a theatrical bow.

"Can she still access her heads-up-display in this state?" asked Ratchet.

"Sure she can."

"I can?" said Arcee.

"Yeah, I made sure the right protocols were intact when you transferred to your avatar," said Rafael, "Just try opening up your HUD the usual way; it should work just fine."

Arcee quickly opened up her HUD; she blinked once, hard, and waited for a whole nanoklik, and her optical HUD flashed open. "It's all here," she said, "Energon levels, frame status, joint integrity...And I've managed to patch into the base's wi-fi."

"Optimus, the implications of this technology...," breathed Ratchet.

"I know, old friend," said Optimus, "But for now, let us confine this to testing. Rafael, will Arcee have any problems in her new avatar?"

"None that I can see," said the young man, as he adjusted his spectacles, "But if there's any problems, she can just report to me; I'll troubleshoot it myself and have it fixed."

"Of course, she will need to turn off her avatar from time to time," said Ratchet, "As prospective as solid light projection seems, we can't have Arcee's frame deteriorating from lack of use."

"Oh yeah, about that," said Rafael as he turned to a console, "Since it's holomatter we're talking about, there's a special procedure to switch it off. Hang on, I'll-". He stopped dead, his gaze turning to one of shock as he stared at the screen. His eyes widened, and his jaw went slack. "Uhh...," was all he managed to say.

Ratchet frowned. "What is the matter? Is something wrong?"

Rafael closed his mouth. "Um...yeah...about the avatar..."

Arcee suddenly felt a strong sense of foreboding; a lump which rose in her simulated throat. "Raf...What happened?"

Rafael coughed. "Well...to turn it off..."

Optimus cut in, his voice asking the question that was on the everyone's tongue; "Rafael...Did you install a deactivation procedure?"

"You mean an off switch?" asked Rafael. To Arcee's utter dread, the young man looked somewhere between sheepish and terrified.

"Yes, an off switch," said Ratchet. Judging from his expression, he was also expecting the worst.

Rafael sighed. "Yeah...I kinda...forgot?"


	2. Chapter 2

**...**

**Enter Miko**

**(Because the author can't resist lewd puns)**

**...**

Arcee eyed the couch tentatively.

She hadn't realized it before, but a couch and PlayStation system had always been a permanent fixture no matter which base they moved to. The Autobot Base's rec room was no exception; the humans' living area was situated on a raised platform, positioned at just the right angle so as to get a good view of the room's main vidscreen, and it was just big enough for a flatscreen and a gaming system.

Arcee became aware of the stares she was receiving from the rec room's current occupants; a slew of Autobot grunts occupying every couch and table. They did their best to not look like they were staring at her holoform, but every now and then, their optics would flick over to her direction. Only a few sharp glares from Arcee were enough to convince them to mind their own damn business.

News of Arcee's 'transformation' (pun not intended) had spread throughout Autobot Central Command like one of Soundwave's network viruses. Within the hour, everyone, from the maintenance technicians to the floor sanitizers, was aware of what had happened. Needless to say, it hadn't done Arcee any favors. It was a wonder she hadn't been swamped by Autobots and personnel clamouring for a look at her.

Anyway, back to the couch...

It was a new one; black, with a nice leathery finish, and it complimented the dark flatscreen LCD mounted just a few feet away. Arcee frowned as she raised a finger and poked the leather; it felt inconceivably soft.

To be honest, she'd never wrapped her head around human furniture. Yes, cybertronian furnishings did have some form of soft padding, but humans seemed to overdo it to the extremes; every surface was made to be as soft and spongy as possible. In fact, human furniture was sometimes so soft, that Arcee often wondered how they didn't just collapse in on themselves like bean bags.

"You could just sit down, you know," said Jack. He stood close by, next to the shelf jam packed with Blu-Rays, comic books and PlayStation games. Now twenty one years old, Jackson Darby had grown into a lean, strong young man, his face now more chiseled than it had been five years ago. Thankfully, unlike Rafael, he kept himself clean shaven.

Arcee sighed. "Yeah, sure...," she mumbled, as she turned around and let herself fall onto the couch.

The leather enveloped her, and Arcee suddenly realized why humans liked their couches soft; it just felt so damn _good_. The leather hugged the sides of her body, and the leathery scent was heavenly. Her body, which ached in places, suddenly stopped protesting, allowing Arcee to loosen herself up completely with a contented sigh, and turn her thoughts to recent events...

* * *

_"HOW?!" screamed Arcee, "HOW IN THE NAME OF PRIMUS COULD YOU SCREW UP THIS BADLY?! HOW?!"_

_"Arcee!" interjected Optimus, "Perhaps Rafael might provide more constructive answers if you were to release his windpipe!"_

_And this was true. Right now, Arcee had Rafael pinned on top of a desk, her gloved hands firmly around his throat. The Engineering student's spectacles were at a ridiculously lopsided angle, and his eyes were bulging in their sockets. His hands scrabbled at Arcee's arms as he desperately tried to pry open her fingers, but all he succeeded in doing was scattering notes, storage drives and disks to the floor and generally making a huge mess of an already disorganized work space._

_Not that Arcee had realized what she was doing; her death grip only tightened, such was her rage._

_Thankfully, help came at just the right moment. The doors swished open, Arcee barely registering it, and a pair of digits clamped down on her waist and lifted her clear off the ground. Arcee yelped as she was whisked upwards, and came face to face with the cold, visor framed optics of Prowl. "Heel," he ordered, with the straightest face one could imagine._

_Arcee went limp and swallowed; not even she had the bearings to start a shouting match with the likes of the Executive Officer. "Seeing that I've just arrived," he said smoothly, "Would someone please explain why I am reprimanding this woman?" He shook the servo that held Acee, just slightly, to illustrate his point._

_Behind him, Sideswipe, sensing an opportunity, nudged Jazz. "I wager forty credits he lands face up," he whispered._

_Jazz grinned. "Make that sixty and we're done."_

_"And why is Arcee in vehicle mode over there?" snapped Prowl, "I specifically wrote the regulations and protocols concerning the use of vehicle modes in the confines of this facility, and this is a clear violation!"_

_"Nah, how about we make that fifty?" hissed Sideswipe._

_"Deal," said Jazz._

_"Prowl," said Optimus levelly, "That is Arcee you are holding right now."_

_Prowl blinked, his expression unchanged. "Prime," he said, calmly, "While I appreciate your recent initiative of using humor to warm up to the troops and vice-versa, I must say, with all respect, that this is scarcely the sort of situation that calls for practical joking."_

_"Prowl, this is no joke. You are holding Arcee," said Ratchet. At this, Prowl gave pause, his stoic expression slackening ever so slightly. He'd known the medic for a long time, long enough to know when he being serious. And right now, Ratchet had his best serious face on._

_Prowl's face fell, and he looked at Arcee, incredulous._

_Arcee huffed. "Yes, it's me."_

_"Wait..._Seriously_?!" exclaimed Sideswipe and Jazz, in unison._

___The sound of Arcee's voice emanating from this human was enough for Prowl's mouth to fall open. _His digits began to massage his optics. "What...I mean, how-?"

_"Solid light holoform," wheezed Rafael, who had just managed to catch his breath. "I sent you the memo, remember?"_

_It was too much. Prowl's visor cracked with a sharp _'snap!'_. He groaned, his optics shut, his grip on Acee loosening. Seeing what was coming, she wriggled free, landing cat-like on the floor, just as Prowl began to teeter dangerously. Jazz and Sideswipe paid rapt attention to his movements, and then, with a loud crash, Prowl collapsed, his face hitting the floor._

_Jazz nudged Sideswipe. "Face down. Fifty creds. Pay up."_

* * *

Unfortunately for Jazz, Sideswipe had bolted; Arcee's holo-form accident was the sort of thing that just begged to be gossiped about, and soon, despite Ratchet and Optimus' best efforts to keep the situation confidential, all of Central Command knew what had occurred.

Arcee sighed heavily. "This is a disaster," she groaned.

"Look on the bright side," said Jack, "At least you're a brunette. You could've ended up with blue hair with pink highlights."

Arcee ignored him, opting to close her eyes. Maybe this was Primus punishing her for some horrible, unforgivably heinous crime she wasn't aware of yet. She opened one brilliant green eye, and glared at the ceiling, in Cybertron's approximate direction.

_You're fooling around with me. Aren't you, Primus?_

A commotion drew Arcee out of her ruminations, and she turned her head towards the rec room's entrance. In strode in a motley pair; a slim, seafoam blue chopper-mech, and a young woman.

The blue mech would always catch people's eyes first; he was thin, with bird-like legs that terminated in odd, clamp-like feet. His hands were just pincers, and his face was a single, large optic that glowed with a pale light.

Right now, he and the woman were both in the middle of an argument.

"Bullshit," snapped the mech, "You cheated, I just know it."

"Do me a favor, Whirl," said the woman, her face split by a grin, "Take your shitty score and shove it up your ass."

"Shove it up yours," growled Whirl, "Oh, right, I forgot! This is the infallible Miko Nakadai, we're talking about! There's no way she'd shove her perfect score up her ass! Why? 'Cause she fucking cheated!"

"Oh, you're just being a cranky baby," huffed Miko, as she climbed the stairs to the humans' platform. She passed the couch without a glance at Acee, and popped open the mini-fridge. "There any beer in here?" she asked, "Tearing Whirl a new one made me thirsty."

Mikoto 'Miko' 'Top Gun' Nakadai had grown into quite the strong lady. She'd had a sudden growth spurt around the age of sixteen, making her just as tall as Jack was. In addition, her figure had evolved from slender-and-scrawny to slender-and-athletic, packing a good amount of muscle for a twenty-year old college student. Of course, her signature red streak was still present in her hair.

Jack massaged his forehead exasperatedly. "Are you and Whirl arguing about simulation scores _again_?"

"Her fault. Not mine," grumbled Whirl, as he stalked towards the high grade dispenser.

"Aww, he's just sad 'cause he lost to a girl," chortled Miko, as she popped a beer open. Without pausing, she took a hard swig, her throat bobbing. It was there that Acee noticed just how sweaty Miko was; her face and forehead were slick with it. Throw in a biker's leather jacket and pants, and she was suddenly the most rugged looking female Arcee had ever seen.

Even _without_ those military-grade boots on.

Miko let out an 'aaah' of contentment as she finished her beer, and wiped her mouth. It was there that she noticed Arcee. Her eyebrows shot up, her head tilted to one side as she asked, "Hey, who's this? Are we taking in new recruits or something?"

Arcee let out a rueful breath; she was tired of having to explain herself like this. "Miko, it's me," she said, as calmly as possible.

Miko took a step back, jaw open. "Wh-Arcee?! Is that you?"

"Of course it's her," grunted Whirl, "What, you didn't hear? Raf finally got that holo-form project of his up and running. The bad news? No off switch."

"No shit?" said Miko, as she leaned towards Arcee for a better look.

Arcee, to her own surprise, found herself somewhat transfixed at the intensity of her gaze. Miko's whiskey colored eyes locked with hers, and Arcee couldn't help but feel a little warm all of a sudden.

Miko grinned. "Heh...Brunette, huh? And green eyes? Pretty...Beautiful even..."

Jack gave her a strange look, but then shook his head and turned back to the magazine he'd pulled off the shelf.

Arcee fidgeted. "Uh...Thanks?" she mumbled, trying not to look too uncomfortable. She made to stand up, but softly collided with Miko, their chests bumping.

That was when she realized how tall Miko was, compared to her avatar; she towered over Arcee by a good seven inches, an odd feeling, partly because she was used to being taller than Miko, and partly because...Well, Miko did have a nice height...

Arcee felt herself grow warmer. "I'll, uh, just go now," she mumbled, as she edged away from Miko and headed down the stairs.

Miko watched her go, empty beer can still in hand. She inhaled, her nostrils just catching the remnants of the scent Arcee's avatar; a strong chocolate-like odor with just a hint of gunpowder. She grinned, teeth flashing, and then expertly pitched the can into the trash bin.

"Whoah," muttered Whirl, "Don't tell me; you're going at it. _Again_."

"Yes, I am," said Miko as she descended the stairs, "Don't interrupt. Unless you want me to put shrooms in your H-grade again."

Whirl flinched, muttering something obscene, as he drew away his high grade cube protectively.

"Wait, hold on a second," said Jack, warily, as Miko headed for the doors, "Just what did you mean by 'going at it again'?"

Whirl's optic arched slightly; the equivalent of raising a brow. "You mean you don't know?"

Jack frowned. "Know what?"

* * *

Arcee walked down Corridor-J aimlessly; she had no clear destination in mind, she just wanted to get out of the rec room.

The same warm feeling she'd had earlier was still there, though this time it was abating, much to her relief. To say that she'd felt highly uncomfortable would be an understatement. In all her years as a soldier, she'd never had this sort of sensory input before. The fact that it had happened, just a few minutes ago, when she had been in close proximity to Miko, was worrying; she hadn't felt the same when she'd been near Jack or Rafael.

_Maybe something's wrong with the avatar,_ she thought. _Must be a glitch. I'll go see Raf; maybe he knows what-_

"Hey there, sweetie..."

Arcee stopped dead in her tracks. More than the sound of that voice, it was the sudden rise in warmth that surprised her. She swallowed and turned slowly, coming face to face with none other than Miko. She was a few feet away, totally relaxed, arms folded across her chest, her face sporting a smile. She was still sweaty.

"You weren't thinking of leaving l'il ol' me behind now, were you?" said Miko, as she tilted her head.

Arcee bit her lip; that warmth was getting more and more egregious now. "I just felt a little warm all of sudden," she said, hesitantly, "I was just going to-"

"Ooooh, feeling warm, huh?" said Miko, her smile widening, "Come to think of it...I'm feeling warm too." Without pause, she unzipped her leather jacket, and whipped it off her body.

* * *

"Wait...You seriously don't know?!" asked Whirl, "Come on, I thought it was pretty obvious! Or did she not tell you?"

"Tell me what, Whirl?" said Jack, who was growing impatient.

"You know, the whole issue about her sexuality," said Whirl.

"I-I'm sorry, what? What about her sexuality?"

"Oh, you know," said Whirl, who was completely oblivious to Jack's expression. "The thing about her being attracted to men _and_ women? Wat was that word again?" He leaned against the platform, optic narrowed in thought. His cube was forgotten as he raised a pincer to stroke the protrusion that acted as his chin. "I think it started with something like 'pie'..."

"Bisexual?" said Jack, his voice hoarse from shock, "Miko is bisexual? Are you serious?!"

"That's the word!" said Whirl, snapping his pincer, "Yeah, Miko's _totally_ into that stuff. I remember this one time, we were somewhere in France, and she was seriously hitting it off with this blond chick from Marseilles." He chortled, and his optic narrowed in a smile. "After about, I don't know, two or three rounds of beer, they ended up heading to this old hotel, some fancy place in town. And get this: they were still sober!"

Whirl erupted into laughter. "Oh, man, you should've been there! We had Roadbuster park over there and record everything! And let me tell ya, Jack, there's no sweeter music in the world than..."

But Jack was no longer listening; he stood, staring into space, his eyes wide, and his jaw open and slack at the sheer shock of what he had just learned.

The magazine he'd been holding fell from his hands.

* * *

Arcee had to swallow again, her green eyes wide. Without the jacket, Miko only wore a sleeveless military vest as a top, the grey-green material soaked with perspiration in several places, midriff exposed. Her dogtags were around her neck, and they glinted, the stainless steel obviously very cold against her moist skin.

"Whew! Is it hot in here, or is it just me?" said Miko, almost in sing-song, as she threw her jacket over one shoulder.

If it was possible, Miko had suddenly become ten times more rugged than a few minutes ago. Arcee's warm feeling skyrocketed in temperature, compounded by the form fitting biker's outfit she wore. "You are," she blurted, "You're hot."

_Wait...What did I just say?_

Apparently that was all Miko needed to hear. That smile of hers widened again, and her whiskey eyes became predatory. "_MmmMMmmm_," she purred, her voice containing just the right amount of husk, "Thanks. You're pretty smokin' yourself, sweetie." She drew up close to Arcee, whose breathing was becoming more and more quicker. She could do nothing, as her chin was lifted up by Miko's slender fingers so as to make eye contact with the taller woman.

Up close, Arcee couldn't help but notice the way Miko's hair adhered to her sweaty forehead. Like she'd just gotten out of a swimming pool. "You know," whispered Miko, their noses almost touching, "we should go somewhere nice and quiet...Maybe chat a little..." Her voice was a low purr, as soft as snow, enrapturing Arcee with every word.

She wanted to say yes. She wanted to say yes so badly. Arcee opened her mouth, lips parting just so slightly...

But then, something in the back of her mind brought itself to the forefront, and Arcee was jolted out of the spell as realization hit her.

"Miko," she said, slowly, "Are...Are you hitting on me?"

Miko's smile suddenly became the most roguish grin Arcee had ever seen, as her other hand found her waist and sharply pulled her close, her chest against Arcee's.

"I might be," she sang, "What do _you_ think, sweetie?"

Arcee batted Miko's hands away and pushed the young woman off of her. The Japanese woman landed on her rear with an 'oof!', and by the time she'd regained her bearings, Arcee had already ran off, as though she'd disappeared into thin air.

Miko blinked, stunned, as she sat there on the floor for a full minute. Then her face broke into a grin.

"She's so cute..."


End file.
